System and method for dynamic modification of service definition packages with a cloud computing environment

ABSTRACT

A system and method for dynamic modification of service definition packages for use with a cloud computing environment. In accordance with an embodiment, a cloud platform enables provisioning of enterprise software applications (e.g., Fusion Middleware applications) within a cloud environment. In an embodiment, enterprise applications can be packaged as service definition packages (SDP). To support maintenance of services (e.g., bug fixes, security updates, and configuration changes), a service&#39;s characteristics and requirements can be modified dynamically, by reconfiguring the cloud platform itself and/or by mounting a disk volume that corresponds to the service&#39;s SDP, and modifying its contents directly.

CLAIM OF PRIORITY

This application claims the benefit of priority to U.S. ProvisionalPatent Application titled “SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR DYNAMIC MODIFICATION OFSERVICE DEFINITION PACKAGES WITH A CLOUD COMPUTING ENVIRONMENT”,Application No. 61/799,324, filed Mar. 15, 2013; U.S. Provisional PatentApplication titled “SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR PROVIDING A CLOUD COMPUTINGENVIRONMENT”, Application No. 61/698,467, filed Sep. 7, 2012; U.S.Provisional Patent Application titled “SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR PROVIDING ACLOUD COMPUTING ENVIRONMENT”, Application No. 61/748,658, filed Jan. 3,2013; and U.S. Provisional Patent Application titled “SYSTEM AND METHODFOR PROVIDING A CLOUD COMPUTING ENVIRONMENT”, Application No.61/766,819, filed Feb. 20, 2013, each of which above applications areherein incorporated by reference.

COPYRIGHT NOTICE

A portion of the disclosure of this patent document contains materialwhich is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has noobjection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent documentor the patent disclosure, as it appears in the Patent and TrademarkOffice patent file or records, but otherwise reserves all copyrightrights whatsoever.

FIELD OF INVENTION

Embodiments of the invention are generally related to cloud computing,and in particular to systems and methods for dynamic modification ofservice definition packages with a cloud computing environment.

BACKGROUND

The term “cloud computing” is generally used to describe a computingmodel which enables on-demand access to a shared pool of computingresources, such as computer networks, servers, software applications,and services, and which allows for rapid provisioning and release ofresources with minimal management effort or service providerinteraction.

A cloud computing environment (sometimes referred to as a cloudenvironment, or a cloud) can be implemented in a variety of differentways to best suit different requirements. For example, in a public cloudenvironment, the underlying computing infrastructure is owned by anorganization that makes its cloud services available to otherorganizations or to the general public. In contrast, a private cloudenvironment is generally intended solely for use by, or within, a singleorganization. A community cloud is intended to be shared by severalorganizations within a community; while a hybrid cloud comprise two ormore types of cloud (e.g., private, community, or public) that are boundtogether by data and application portability.

Generally, a cloud computing model enables some of thoseresponsibilities which previously may have been provided by anorganization's own information technology department, to instead bedelivered as service layers within a cloud environment, for use byconsumers (either within or external to the organization, according tothe cloud's public/private nature). Depending on the particularimplementation, the precise definition of components or featuresprovided by or within each cloud service layer can vary, but commonexamples include:

-   -   Software as a Service (SaaS), in which consumers use software        applications that are running upon a cloud infrastructure, while        a SaaS provider manages or controls the underlying cloud        infrastructure and applications.    -   Platform as a Service (PaaS), in which consumers can use        software programming languages and development tools supported        by a PaaS provider to develop, deploy, and otherwise control        their own applications, while the PaaS provider manages or        controls other aspects of the cloud environment (i.e.,        everything below the run-time execution environment).    -   Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS), in which consumers can        deploy and run arbitrary software applications, and/or provision        processing, storage, networks, and other fundamental computing        resources, while an IaaS provider manages or controls the        underlying physical cloud infrastructure (i.e., everything below        the operating system layer).

The above examples are provided to illustrate some of the types ofenvironment within which embodiments of the invention can generally beused. In accordance with various embodiments, the systems and methodsdescribed herein can also be used with other types of cloud or computingenvironments.

SUMMARY

Described herein is a system and method for dynamic modification ofservice definition packages for use with a cloud computing environment.In accordance with an embodiment, a cloud platform enables provisioningof enterprise software applications (e.g., Fusion Middlewareapplications) within a cloud environment. In an embodiment, enterpriseapplications can be packaged as service definition packages (SDP). Tosupport maintenance of services (e.g., bug fixes, security updates, andconfiguration changes), a service's characteristics and requirements canbe modified dynamically, by reconfiguring the cloud platform itselfand/or by mounting a disk volume that corresponds to the service's SDP,and modifying its contents directly.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 illustrates a cloud computing environment including servicelayers, in accordance with an embodiment.

FIG. 2 further illustrates an environment, in accordance with anembodiment.

FIG. 3 illustrates a cloud computing environment that can include a PaaSplatform component, in accordance with an embodiment.

FIG. 4 further illustrates a PaaS platform component, including anadministration server and a service domain, in accordance with anembodiment.

FIG. 5 further illustrates a PaaS platform component, including the useof service definition packages and service management engines with anadministration server, in accordance with an embodiment.

FIG. 6 further illustrates a PaaS platform component, including theinteraction between an administration server and a virtualizationmanager, in accordance with an embodiment.

FIG. 7 further illustrates a PaaS platform component, including amultiple tenant service domain, in accordance with an embodiment.

FIG. 8 further illustrates a PaaS platform component, including a cloudaccount manager, in accordance with an embodiment.

FIG. 9 further illustrates use of a service definition package with aPaaS platform component, in accordance with an embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart of a process for using a service definitionpackage with a PaaS platform component, in accordance with anembodiment.

FIG. 11 further illustrates use of a service management engine with aPaaS platform component, in accordance with an embodiment.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart of a process for using a service managementengine with a PaaS platform component, in accordance with an embodiment.

FIG. 13 further illustrates use of an orchestration engine with a PaaSplatform component, in accordance with an embodiment.

FIG. 14 is a flowchart of a process for using an orchestration enginewith a PaaS platform component, in accordance with an embodiment.

FIG. 15 further illustrates use of an elasticity manager with a PaaSplatform component, in accordance with an embodiment.

FIG. 16 is a flowchart of a process for using an elasticity manager witha PaaS platform component, in accordance with an embodiment.

FIG. 17 further illustrates patching of service definition packages witha PaaS platform component, in accordance with an embodiment.

FIG. 18 is a flowchart of a process for patching of service definitionpackages with a PaaS platform component, in accordance with anembodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

As described above, a cloud computing environment (cloud environment, orcloud) can be implemented in a variety of different ways to best suitdifferent requirements: for example, public cloud, private cloud,community cloud, or hybrid cloud. A cloud computing model enables someof those responsibilities which previously may have been provided by anorganization's own information technology department, to instead bedelivered as service layers within a cloud environment, for use byconsumers (either within or external to the organization, according tothe cloud's public/private nature).

Described herein are a variety of hardware and/or software componentsand features, which can be used in delivering an infrastructure,platform, and/or applications to support cloud computing environments.In accordance with various embodiments, the system can also utilizehardware and software such as Oracle Exalogic and/or Exadata machines,WebLogic and/or Fusion Middleware, and other hardware and/or softwarecomponents and features, to provide a cloud computing environment whichis enterprise-grade, enables a platform for development and deployingapplications, provides a set of enterprise applications built on modernarchitecture and use cases, and/or provides flexible consumptionchoices.

FIG. 1 illustrates a cloud computing environment including servicelayers, in accordance with an embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, inaccordance with an embodiment, a cloud computing environment (cloudenvironment, or cloud) 100 can generally include a combination of one ormore Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) layer 110, Platform as a Service(PaaS) layer 160, and/or Software as a Service (SaaS) layer 170, each ofwhich are delivered as service layers within the cloud environment, andwhich can be used by consumers within or external to the organization,depending on the particular cloud computing model being used.

In accordance with an embodiment, the cloud computing environment can beimplemented as a system that includes one or more conventional generalpurpose or specialized digital computers, computing devices, machines,microprocessors, memory and/or computer readable storage media, forexample the computer hardware, software, and resources provided byOracle Exalogic, Exadata, or similar machines.

As further shown in FIG. 1, in accordance with an embodiment, the cloudcomputing environment can include a shared enablement and managinginfrastructure 120, which is described in further detail below, andwhich provides enablement and management tools that can be used tosupport the various service layers.

The example shown in FIG. 1 is provided as an illustration of a type ofcloud computing environment in which embodiments of the invention cangenerally be used. In accordance with various embodiments, the systemsand methods described herein can also be used with different and/orother types of cloud or computing environments.

FIG. 2 further illustrates an environment, in accordance with anembodiment. As shown in FIG. 2, in accordance with an embodiment, eachof the IaaS, PaaS, and/or SaaS layers can generally include a variety ofcomponents. For example, in accordance with an embodiment, the IaaSlayer can include a shared database hardware (e.g., an Exadata machine)112, and/or a shared application server hardware (e.g., an Exalogicmachine). The PaaS layer can include one or more PaaS services, such asa database service 162, application server service 164, and/or WebCenterservice 166. The SaaS layer can include various SaaS services, such asenterprise applications (e.g., Oracle Fusion SaaS) 172, and/or ISV orcustom applications 176.

As described above, in accordance with an embodiment, the cloudcomputing environment can also include a shared enablement andmanagement infrastructure. For example, as shown in FIG. 2, the sharedenablement and management infrastructure can include one or moreidentity management 122, data integration 124, replication (e.g., OracleGoldenGate) 126, virtual assembly builder 128, system provisioning 130,tenant management 132, and/or enterprise manager components 134.

As further shown in FIG. 2, in accordance with an embodiment, the sharedenablement and managing infrastructure can also include othercomponents, such as virus scan 142, secure file transfer 144, HTTProuting 146, whitelist 148, notifications 150, secure backup 152,integration gateway 154, and/or usage & billing 156 components.

The example shown in FIG. 2 is provided as an illustration of some ofthe types of components which can be included in a cloud computingenvironment, or within a shared enablement and managementinfrastructure. In accordance with other embodiments, different and/orother types or arrangements of components can be included.

PaaS Platform Component

In accordance with an embodiment, the cloud computing environment caninclude a PaaS platform component (PaaS platform), which enablesprovisioning of enterprise software applications within a cloudenvironment.

FIG. 3 illustrates a cloud computing environment that can include a PaaSplatform component, in accordance with an embodiment. As shown in FIG.3, in accordance with an embodiment, the PaaS platform 500 can beprovided as an installable software suite that provides a self-serviceprovisioning experience for enterprise applications, such as FusionMiddleware or other enterprise applications.

Generally, installing and configuring enterprise applications for anorganization's on-premise or private cloud environment can involve aconsiderable amount of administrative work, including challenges facedby an administrator when trying to scale their environment horizontallyto meet increased workload demands. In accordance with an embodiment,the PaaS platform component can be easily extended to host newenterprise application suites when desired, and to thereafter scale thequantity of instantiated runtimes according to increases in load.

As shown in FIG. 3, in accordance with an embodiment, the PaaS platformcan include one or more service definition package (SDP) 502, servicemanagement engine (SME) 504, virtual assembly (VA) 506, PaaSadministration server 508, service domain 510 (including one or moreservice apps 512 for use by one or more cloud accounts or tenants 513),and/or cloud elasticity manager 514 components. Each of thesecomponents, together with other components and features, are describedin further detail below.

GLOSSARY

In accordance with an embodiment, the following terms are used herein.In accordance with other embodiments, different and/or other terms canbe used.

PaaS Platform Component (PaaS Platform, platform): In accordance with anembodiment, a PaaS platform component (PaaS platform, platform) is aninstallable software suite that provides a self-service provisioningexperience for enterprise applications, such as Fusion Middleware orother enterprise applications.Cloud Account (Tenant): In accordance with an embodiment, a cloudaccount (tenant) is an entity that is associated with thoseusers/consumers that consume the PaaS platform as a service. A cloudaccount establishes an administrative scope, which accountadministrators can then use to access PaaS services. For example, acloud account can be created for an organization or company that isbuying PaaS services from a public PaaS provider. As another example, acloud account can be created for a department or group that is consumingPaaS services from an internal information technology department that isacting as a private PaaS provider. In accordance with an embodiment,different PaaS user roles, such as the cloud account administrator roledescribed below, can be associated with a cloud account. In accordancewith an embodiment, within the PaaS platform, consumed resources, suchas services together with their virtual machines, databases, DNSentries, load-balancer, and other configurations, can be associated witha cloud account. One or more users, and zero or more services cansimilarly be associated with a cloud account. A PaaS platform domain canbe associated with one, or a plurality of cloud accounts (tenants).Service Definition Package: In accordance with an embodiment, a ServiceDefinition Package (SDP) is a package that contains all of theinformation that is necessary for a particular type of service to beoffered by the PaaS platform. For example, when used with FusionMiddleware, each type of Fusion Middleware service can provide its ownSDP. In accordance with an embodiment, an SDP includes custom code thatis installed into the platform, together with a virtual assembly (e.g.,an OVAB assembly) that contains the topology and configuration of a setof virtual appliances that will comprise a running instance of theservice once deployed onto a set of virtual machines (VM). For example,a Fusion Middleware application SDP can include custom code togetherwith a Fusion Middleware OVAB assembly that contains the topology andconfiguration needed to deploy a running instance of that FusionMiddleware application as a service.Service Type: In accordance with an embodiment, a service type is arepresentation of a software functionality that can be instantiatedwithin the PaaS platform for a cloud account. In accordance with anembodiment, a service type can be created based on an SDP, withadditional configuration information supplied by the systemadministrator. Some of this configuration information may supply valuesthat are specific to an installation of the platform product or theenterprise in which it is running; while other configuration informationmay reflect a system administrator's choices of options supported by theSDP. In accordance with an embodiment, multiple (different) servicetypes can be created from a single SDP, by making differentconfiguration choices.Service: In accordance with an embodiment, a service is an instantiationof a service type. A cloud account can be associated with multipleservices. Within a single cloud account, there can be multiple servicesfor a single service type. In accordance with an embodiment, a serviceprovides both a service administration interface, and an end-userinterface. A service can be associated with identity, database, or otherservice features that are required by the service. A service isassociated with a service runtime that runs on one or more VMs.Provider Type: In accordance with an embodiment, a provider type is aspecial kind of service type that supports providers instead ofservices. Provider types are created by the system administrator in thesame way as service types. As with the service types described above, aprovider type can be created based on an SDP, with additionalconfiguration information supplied by the system administrator.Similarly, some of this configuration information may supply values thatare specific to an installation of the platform product or theenterprise in which it is running; while other configuration informationmay reflect the system administrator's choices of options supported bythe SDP. In accordance with an embodiment, multiple (different) providertypes can be created from a single SDP, by making differentconfiguration choices.Provider: In accordance with an embodiment, a provider is aspecialization of a service. Unlike services, which are generallycreated by the explicit action of a cloud account administrator,providers can be created on demand to satisfy the dependencies ofservices. In accordance with an embodiment, a provider is aninstantiation of a provider type, and represents the use of a resourcemanaged by the provider type, by a particular instance of a servicetype. Services can be associated with multiple providers. In accordancewith an embodiment, when creating a service, an orchestration enginematches the requirements of a desired service type with the capabilitiesof configured provider types. The orchestration engine then requests theservice type to create an instance of a service; requests the providertypes to create instances of the providers for use by this instance ofthe service; and associates the service with the providers.Association Resource: In accordance with an embodiment, an associationresource (provider resource) enables a service to keep track ofconfiguration information for a particular association. For example, ifa Java service is associated with two different database providers, itmay need to create a connection pool for each database. An associationresource allows the Java service to keep track of which connection poolis associated with which database, so that, if the orchestration enginesubsequently needs to change one of the associations, the Java servicewill know which connection pool to change.Runtime: In accordance with an embodiment, a runtime is a representationof an installed operational software application that provides thefunctionality of a service or a provider. In accordance with anembodiment, runtimes are managed by the custom code included in an SDP,in some instances using the facilities provided by the PaaS platform,such as virtualization and provisioning support.Environment: In accordance with an embodiment, an environment is acollection of services and their associated providers, which can bemanaged together as a group. An environment can be created for thepurpose of running an application, or providing a higher level service.Environments provide the ability to operate on a collection of servicesas a whole, including operations such as start, stop, backup, ordestroy. In accordance with an embodiment, an environment can providethe functions of an “association group” and a “management group”.System Administrator (Role): In accordance with an embodiment, a systemadministrator is responsible for installing, configuring, managing, andmaintaining the cloud environment and/or the PaaS platforminfrastructure and environment, including the resources that are madeavailable to applications running in the environment. For example, inaccordance with an embodiment, the system administrator is responsiblefor downloading and installing SDPs to support new/additional servicetypes; setting up or configuring the virtualization technology for thePaaS platform to use; and installing and configuring providers.Cloud Account Administrator (Role): In accordance with an embodiment, acloud account administrator is responsible for the provisioning of newservices, the management of generic service properties (such as theirQuality of Service/QoS settings) and their associations, and the lockingand termination of services. In accordance with an embodiment, the cloudaccount administrator can assign service administrators for eachservice.Service Administrator (Role): In accordance with an embodiment, aservice administrator is responsible for administering and managing aspecific service after it has been provisioned. A service administratorcan interact with the service's administration interface to performadministration and management operations.Application Deployer (Role): In accordance with an embodiment, anapplication deployer deploys an application to the provisioned service,and is responsible for installing, configuring, and running theapplication. Once the application is running it can then be madeavailable to an end user.End User (Role): In accordance with an embodiment, an end user is a userof the application which the application deployer has deployed to theservice. The end user can interact with a user interface provided by theapplication deployed to the service. If the service provides aninterface for users to consume the functionality that it exposes, thenthe end user can use that interface provided by the service, withoutrequiring the application deployer to deploy an application.

FIG. 4 further illustrates a PaaS platform component, including anadministration server and a service domain, in accordance with anembodiment. As shown in FIG. 4, in accordance with an embodiment, onceinstalled, the PaaS platform (platform) comprises a PaaS administrationserver 508, which supports an administration console 520, a cloudplatform provisioning/management logic 521, and a virtual assemblybuilder (VAB) deployer 522, together with an assembly or VAB repository.

In accordance with an embodiment, the VAB deployer can be provided byfunctionality, components or products such as Oracle Virtual AssemblyBuilder (OVAB). The VAB deployer (e.g., the OVAB Deployer) can then beused by the PaaS platform to manage those VMs that will host theservicing applications. In accordance with other embodiments, othermeans of providing assembly builder functionality or components can beused.

In accordance with an embodiment, the PaaS administration server can beimplemented as a WebLogic (WLS) server application, together with, e.g.,Glassfish modules embedded therein to provide cloud platformfunctionality. A service domain 510, including a service app and serviceconsole 532, can be provided for housing those enterprise applications,such as the Fusion Middleware applications, that will ultimately serviceuser requests. In accordance with an embodiment, the service domaincomponents may be instantiated multiple times as part of provisioningrequests.

In accordance with an embodiment, provider server types that will beused by the PaaS administration server and the service domain (examplesof which can include LDAP 526, database 527, and load-balancer 528providers) can be provided in pools that are not provisioned by theadministration server, since these are external services that areregistered with the cloud environment. In accordance with an embodiment,the PaaS platform can make use of a single load-balancer provider toforward all incoming, e.g., Web requests, that are directed to theservices. For example, each service can be associated with a virtualhost name that will be registered with the load-balancer provider duringservice provisioning, and the PaaS platform can include a pool ofdatabase providers which those services can utilize. When a service islater provisioned, all external references to a database service arethen resolved to point to one or more instances in the database providerpool.

FIG. 5 further illustrates a PaaS platform component, including the useof service definition packages and service management engines with anadministration server, in accordance with an embodiment. As shown inFIG. 5, in accordance with an embodiment, new enterprise applicationservice types (e.g., new Fusion Middleware service types), which theadministrator wishes to make available for use within the PaaS platform,can be installed from an SDP.

In accordance with an embodiment, SDPs can be downloaded over theInternet, or can be provided by other means. Each SDP contains customcode that can be injected into the PaaS platform, for use in supporting,e.g., elasticity and provisioning; together with an assembly (e.g., anOVAB assembly) that contains the topology and configuration of a set ofvirtual appliances that will comprise a running instance of theenterprise application service once the assembly is deployed onto a setof VMs. Each of the service types/providers that the PaaS administratorinteracts with can be registered with the system in this manner. Otherprovider service types, such as external services, can be generallypre-installed.

FIG. 6 further illustrates a PaaS platform component, including theinteraction between an administration server and a virtualizationmanager, in accordance with an embodiment. As shown in FIG. 6, inaccordance with an embodiment, a VM manager component 541 (e.g., OVMManager) can be used by the PaaS platform to manage the pool 540 of VMs542, 543, 544, which are then used in instantiating a service assembly.

When a request is made from a PaaS platform module to instantiate anassembly (or a single appliance in the case of a scale-up request), theVAB deployer application (e.g., OVAB Deployer) can then interact withthe VM manager (e.g., OVM Manager) to fulfill the request. By delegatingthe infrastructure/virtualization responsibilities to the VM manager andthe VAB deployer in this manner, the PaaS platform can be abstractedfrom the target deployment platform.

FIG. 7 further illustrates a PaaS platform component, including amultiple tenant service domain, in accordance with an embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 7, a service domain can include multiple tenants 550,551, 552, that are configurable using the service console.Multi-tenancy, like virtualization, is a density optimization thatallows the use of less resources to support more clients and, similar tovirtualization, should be transparent to the applications themselves.Although multi-tenancy involves the use of shared resources, the sharingneed not be part of the logical model of the applications. These modelsare referred to as using “multitenant” and “dedicated” resources.

Separately, applications may also share resources in a way that is partof the logical model of the applications. For example, two applicationsmay purposely access a shared database because they intend to operate onthe same data. These models are referred to as using “shared” and“unshared” resources.

In accordance with an embodiment, some service types may support bothdedicated and multitenant uses, based on their particular configuration.Other service types may support either only dedicated use, or onlymultitenant use. Service types that are able to support multiple tenantson the same runtime can provision their runtimes in a multitenant mannerduring the instantiation process, based on the configuration of theservice type. A single instantiated service runtime that has been markedas multitenant-capable will be reused for a finite number of additionalservice provisioning requests, as determined by the service type andbased on its configuration. Generally, it is left to the serviceapplication to support this tenancy mode; service applications that arenot multitenant will only be able to support a single account for eachservice instance.

Once a service has been instantiated from its VM assembly, end users 546can then interact with the system and the instantiated services in thesame manner as they would interact with an on-premise version of thatservice.

FIG. 8 further illustrates a PaaS platform component, including a cloudaccount manager, in accordance with an embodiment. As shown in FIG. 8,in accordance with an embodiment, the PaaS platform can include a cloudplatform administration service (CPAS) 560, together with a cloudaccount manager 570 which is responsible for supporting functions suchas account management, and for providing a framework that other modulesof the PaaS platform (e.g., the orchestration engine/SMEs 562, CEM 564,or identity management service 566) can use to access or persistaccount-specific data.

In accordance with an embodiment, a configuration management component573 can use a configuration layer 580 to persist account specificconfiguration 583 and other files 584 to an account store 582, whichthen enables the various services and other components of the CPAS toaccess and manipulate account-specific data.

In accordance with an embodiment, an account management module 574 alsoprovides the ability to manage accounts for a CPAS domain. This can beexposed through the use of a command-line, REST, or other identitymanagement application program interface (API) 581. Each account canhave multiple users. In accordance with an embodiment, the users caneither be managed in an identity store 586 managed by the PaaS platform,or alternatively can be provided from an external (e.g., corporate)LDAP, or from another means of user identification.

In accordance with an embodiment, users can access the cloud accountmanager through an administration interface 572. The account andconfiguration data can also be stored on a file system or other means ofstorage that is accessible from all nodes of a CPAS cluster.

Service Definition Package (SDP)

FIG. 9 further illustrates use of a service definition package with aPaaS platform component, in accordance with an embodiment. In accordancewith an embodiment, a Service Definition Package (SDP) is the means bywhich a particular enterprise application component (e.g., a FusionMiddleware component) is delivered as a service type into the PaaSplatform.

In accordance with an embodiment, an SDP generally has the followingcharacteristics: it can be easily created for a particular enterpriseapplication component; it can be deployed to various virtualizationtechnologies (e.g., OVM, Amazon, KVM, or VirtualBox); it can be deployedto non-virtualized environments (e.g., laptop mode); and it includessupport for pre-provisioned service types or providers.

As shown in FIG. 9, in accordance with an embodiment, each SDP 592, 596can include a binary 593, 597; a metadata 594, 598 (e.g., the SDP name,service type, version, vendor, or virtualization support metadata suchas indicating whether the SDP supports OVAB, EC2, or Native); and one ormore plugins 595, 599 that enable the SDP to be used within a PaaSplatform or cloud environment. In accordance with an exemplaryembodiment, each SDP can also include:

-   -   An assembly, reference, package, archive or template, which can        be used to install a service on a particular virtualization        provider (e.g., OVAB); an assembly bundled within the SDP; or a        reference to an assembly (e.g., an EC2-specific reference).    -   A service management plugin or SME plugin for the service type,        which enables PaaS platform functionality such as elasticity        metric gatherers, or alerts to be used with the service.    -   A plugin for use with an VAB deployer (e.g., OVAB Deployer)        during its assembly rehydration process.    -   Dependency information regarding service providers, such as        association rules or other artifacts for association; for        example, an association with a database provider may require        information such as a database schema, or appropriate tables.    -   Configuration metadata, which in some instances may be further        subdivided into service configuration and service runtime        configuration metadata.    -   Access interfaces, such as service administration interfaces or        URL patterns for use by a service administrator (e.g., a WLS        admin server URL).    -   Quality of service metadata, for use with the service and its        runtimes.    -   Scalability metadata, such as scalability limits for different        components; for example, the scalability limits for different        appliances within an assembly can be defined, and these        scalability limits exposed to the system administrator or cloud        account administrator and the elasticity manager, for        appropriate scaling and handling.    -   An indication of supported tenancy model, such as whether the        service is a multitenant or dedicated service.    -   Security template/credentials for use with the service.

The above description of an exemplary embodiment of SDP contents isprovided as an illustration of some of the types of information whichcan be included in an SDP. In accordance with other embodiments,different and/or other types of information can be included in an SDP.

In accordance with an embodiment, for a PaaS system administrator toprovide support for a particular enterprise application or othersoftware component as a service type, the system administrator candownload an SDP for the particular service type, and install the SDP tothe PaaS platform.

In accordance with an embodiment, installing an SDP will install, e.g.,the OVAB assembly into the OVAB repository; appropriate SME plugins willbe registered with the cloud platform; and metric gatherers, alerts andactions will be installed in the PaaS platform. After the systemadministrator installs the SDP, a cloud account administrator can thenuse the cloud account administration interface to request for a serviceof that type. A service is the realization of a particular service type.

For example, in the context of Fusion Middleware components, eachversion of a Fusion Middleware component can have a separate SDP. When acloud account administrator/service administrator wants to upgrade to anew version of a Fusion Middleware component, they can select a newversion of the SDP. For example, to be able to support SOA suite 11g,and SOA suite 12.1.3, there can be separate SDPs for these two versionsof the SOA suite product.

In accordance with an embodiment, an SDP can be packaged as a zip or ajar file, for example:

<SDP Name~>.zip ->.ova (OVAB assembly if bundled) -> sme-plugin.jar(includes elasticity components) -> service-definition.xml (metadata forthe service)

An SDP can also be packaged as other file formats, depending on theparticular implementation. As shown in FIG. 9, In accordance with anembodiment, when an SDP installed into a PaaS platform domain, it issubsequently consumed by the SDP Manager 590, which is responsible forobtaining a list of SDPs that are available to be installed the localsystem; downloading an SDP if necessary, and installing the parts of theSDP into the right places; maintaining a list of those SDPs that havebeen installed; and, if necessary, uninstalling an SDP by uninstallingall of its parts from the places where they are/were previouslyinstalled.

In accordance with an embodiment, the SDP manager supports multipleversions of a given SDP (e.g., SOA 11 and SOA 12), in addition topatching of an existing version of an SDP. Generally, when an SDP ispatched (as described in further detail below), this will only affectthe installed components related to the SDP in the PaaS infrastructure;it will not affect the services of that service type.

In accordance with an embodiment, the SDP manager isolates the PaaSsystem from the format of the SDP file. No other parts of the PaaSplatform architecture need be aware of the precise SDP file format. TheSDP manager can interface with other system components by installing anSME plugin to the CPAS, which can then take responsibility forreplicating the SME plugin to other CPAS instances in the cluster;installing the VAB assembly 602, 604 (e.g., an OVAB assembly) into theVAB deployer (e.g., OVAB Deployer); interfacing with other tools such asEnterprise Manager to provide a customized console interface for theservice if the service provides one; and, installing configuration datafor the service into the CPAS.

Subsequently, during realization 606 of a service, the service 610 canbe realized as an instance of those service types defined by the SDP andinstalled as assemblies in the VAB repository.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart of a process for using a service definitionpackage with a PaaS platform component, in accordance with anembodiment. As shown in FIG. 10, at step 612, one or more computers areprovided, including a cloud environment and a PaaS platform component(PaaS platform) executing thereon.

At step 614, one or more service definition packages are provided foruse with the platform component, wherein each service definition packageincludes an application binary component, and a metadata.

At step 616, the one or more service definition packages are parsed todetermine service characteristics and requirements, for a particularenterprise application component, that determine how that particularenterprise application component is deliverable as a service type withinthe platform component.

At step 618, corresponding enterprise application components areprovisioned as service types into the platform component, for use withinthe cloud environment.

Service Management Engine (SME)

FIG. 11 further illustrates use of a service management engine with aPaaS platform component, in accordance with an embodiment.

Generally described, in accordance with an embodiment, a ServiceManagement Engine (SME) provides a generic means to plug any servicetype into the system. For example, an SME takes care of all of theservice-specific provisioning, lifecycle, management, and monitoringsupport for a service type or provider type. The orchestration engine(OE, as described in further detail below), being service-agnostic,depends completely on the SME to handle all service-related actions.

In accordance with an embodiment, within a PaaS platform domain, therecan be several different classes of SMEs. For example, provider SMEs canbe provided to handle different providers that are supported in the PaaSplatform domain. Examples of the types of providers that can besupported include Database, Web-Tier, and Identity-Management providers.In accordance with an embodiment, a provider SME is configured to pointto an existing external service within the enterprise, by creating aprovider type from the provider SDP. The provider SME is alsoresponsible for all actions such as schema management that may berequired as part of association and dissociation with the service beingcreated. Provider SMEs are generally not configured to handleprovisioning, unprovisioning, or management of the external servicepointed to by the provider type; although provider SMEs could beconfigured to do so.

In accordance with an embodiment, service SMEs can be added to the PaaSplatform domain using an SDP. For example, a service SME can bedynamically incorporated into the PaaS platform domain by installing anappropriate SDP. In accordance with an embodiment, the SDP managerhandles the installation/registration of service SMEs bundled in SDPswith the PaaS platform domain. The set of registered service SMEs thenbecome the service types that are available to cloud accountadministrators to create services.

In accordance with an embodiment, each service type supported in thePaaS platform domain maps to a specific service SME. A service SMEhandles all service related activities, such as spanning creation,monitoring, management, patching, upgrade, and deletion for thatservice. In accordance with an embodiment, the contract that isimplemented by an SME is referred to as a Service Management Interface(SMI), which defines the support for monitoring, patching and upgrade ofthe service.

In accordance with an embodiment, the orchestration engine interactswith the provider and service SMEs to create a service in a PaaSplatform domain. The orchestration engine choreographs the creation ofservice; however all service level activities are handled by SMEs. Inthe example shown in FIG. 11, when OVAB is used as a virtualizationprovider, all interaction with the OVAB Deployer is handled by aVirtualization API (e.g., an OVAB client API). In accordance with anembodiment, the orchestration process can then proceed as follows:

-   -   A cloud account administrator discovers, e.g., SOA service types        620, 622 that are available in the PaaS platform domain, and        initiates the creation of, in this example, an SOA service.    -   The orchestration engine iterates through all of the available        service SMEs in the system, and determines which service SMEs        can handle this service type 624. In this example, the        orchestration engine will discover, in this example, the SOA SME        to handle creation of the SOA service.    -   The orchestration engine then calls into the SOA SME to get all        provider dependencies for that SME 625. In this example, the SOA        SME returns database and load-balancer provider dependencies.    -   The orchestration engine then calls a get-user or similar        configurable properties function for the SOA SME, and exposes        those properties in a user interface or GUI, so that the cloud        account administrator can edit the properties as desired.    -   User-provided inputs are then supplied to the SOA SME. Since in        this example OVAB is being used, the user provided inputs can be        used to update the OVAB deployment plan.    -   The orchestration engine performs any pre-provisioning        association between the SOA SME and the provider SMEs upon which        it depends. For example, the orchestration engine will perform        pre-provisioning association between the SOA SME and database        provider SME, which results in creation of schema and tables as        required by the SOA service, in addition to populating the        deployment plan with the database provider configuration.    -   Once any pre-provisioning association is complete, the        orchestration engine then calls into the SOA SME 626 to        provision the SOA service. At this point, the deployment plan is        generally complete except for network configurations. The        updated deployment plan together with an assembly ID can be        pushed to the OVAB API, which takes care of filling the        deployment plan with the remaining network configurations. Then,        the orchestration engine can call the web service API of the        OVAB deployer to provision the OVAB assembly. Once the assembly        is provisioned, all of the virtual machine information is        retrieved and passed back to the SOA SME, which in turn passes        this information back to the orchestration engine. The        orchestration engine may persist this information for later use.    -   The orchestration engine then performs any post-provisioning        association between the SOA SME and the provider SMEs on which        it depends. For example, post-provisioning association between        the SOA SME and load-balancer provider SME may result in virtual        server creation to handle requests for this SOA service and        appropriately route them.    -   Finally, the status of the service creation is returned back to        the cloud account administrator.

The above description of an orchestration process, using OVAB Deployeras a means of deploying assemblies, a SOA service and SOA SME as anexample SME, and association with database and load-balancer providers,is provided to illustrate an exemplary orchestration process. Inaccordance with other embodiments, different and/or other types of,e.g., VAB deployer, SME, and providers can be used.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart of a process for using a service managementengine with a PaaS platform component, in accordance with an embodiment.As shown in FIG. 12, at step at step 630, one or more computers areprovided, including a cloud environment and a PaaS platform component(PaaS platform) executing thereon.

At step 632, one or more service management engines are provided incommunication with an orchestration engine, which are used to provisionservices as service types, including one or more provisioning, lifecyclemanagement, and monitoring of the service types.

At step 634, particular service types are determined to be provisionedfor use within the cloud environment.

At step 636, service management engines are used to parse aconfiguration of the platform component itself and/or a servicedefinition package, and to provision services as one or more differentservice types, according to the configuration of the platform componentand/or the contents of the service definition package.

At step 638, corresponding service management engines are configuredwithin the platform component to support those particular service types.

Orchestration Engine

FIG. 13 further illustrates use of an orchestration engine with a PaaSplatform component, in accordance with an embodiment.

In accordance with an embodiment, the orchestration engine (OE) enablesservice creation, provider dependency resolution, association ofservices and providers, and generally the end to end life-cyclemanagement of the services in the PaaS platform. In particular, theorchestration engine coordinates all of the interactions among variouscomponents in the PaaS platform domain while creating or managing aservice; enables the pluggability of SMEs for various service types inthe platform; and aids in provisioning the service by selectingappropriate SMEs from among those available in the platform. Theorchestration engine also helps in managing the configuration ofproviders such as DB Providers, IDM Providers, and LB Providers.

In accordance with an embodiment, the orchestration engine, as part ofcreating a service, ensures that all of the dependencies of the service,such as its provider dependencies are satisfied, by selectingappropriate providers (provider SMEs), and coordinating the associationbetween the providers and service. The act of association can beperformed during pre-provisioning and/or post provisioning-phases. Theact of installing and configuring an SME can be performed by the SDPmanager as part of registering a pre-packaged service type or acustomized service type. The orchestration engine helps expose thedeployment plan configuration, which can be configured by the cloudaccount administrator through the console during the act of provisioningthe service.

In accordance with an embodiment, the orchestration engine recognizes aset of phases and tasks that match the requirements of the PaaS platformfor its “service creation” action and other life-cycle relatedactivities. The orchestration engine is also designed to be extensibleand to allow the configuration of phases and tasks in all actions thatare managed by the orchestration engine.

Provisioning and managing a service in a virtualized environment isoften a time-consuming action and generally needs to be performed in anasynchronous fashion. The system must also be able to handle anytransient (or retryable) failures, and continue with the provisioningactivity. In accordance with an embodiment, the administrator can queryor monitor any of these asynchronous activities on demand. A uniqueidentifier can also be provided for actions such as provision,unprovision etc., in order to determine, display and record the progressstatus of all initiated actions.

In accordance with an embodiment, the orchestration engine also helps toretry a task, or rollback an action based on the resiliency of the task,where the task or phase can have markers (annotations) to indicate theresiliency level and any compensating act.

In accordance with an embodiment, the orchestration engine acts as agateway for all service management, monitoring, scaling actions thatcould be initiated by other containers in the PaaS platform domain, orby the administrator. For example, the elasticity engine (as describedin further detail below) communicates with the orchestration engine tomanage, monitor, and scale services based on a service's QoSconfiguration. The orchestration engine can also play a role in servicemaintenance actions, such as patching and upgrade, which can beperformed in an active system in a rolling fashion that helps avoid downtime of the service. Such actions may require disassociating orre-associating services in a phased manner.

In accordance with an embodiment, services created by a cloud accountadministrator are visible and accessible only to that particular cloudaccount (tenant), and are isolated from other cloud accounts in the PaaSplatform domain. In accordance with an embodiment, such isolation can beprovided by the orchestration engine with the help of a cloud accountmanagement module. Storing and managing service configuration, status,and accessibility are achieved by having separate cloud account datastores. Both multitenant and dedicated tenancy models can be supportedwithin a platform domain. The orchestration engine, based on thepreference provided in the service metadata, selects an appropriateprovider type that supports the required tenancy level. Similarly,multitenant and dedicated tenancy models can be supported for servicesbased on multitenant service runtimes, or on a dedicated service runtimeper service.

In accordance with an embodiment, SMEs can be registered with theorchestration engine such that multiple SMEs for a given “family” ofservice (e.g., “database”) can be present in the system. It is alsopossible to configure a default SME for a particular service family on aper-cloud account basis.

As shown in FIG. 13, in accordance with an embodiment, thevirtualization features for CPAS are primarily built around the VABdeployer (e.g., OVAB Deployer), with VAB assemblies (e.g., OVABAssemblies) being the unit of provisioning. In accordance with otherembodiments, the CPAS can support alternative virtualization solutions.

In accordance with an embodiment, the orchestration and servicemanagement components can interface with the virtualization layerthrough a virtualization service 640, plugin 642, and a virtualizationAPI 646 that abstracts the basic virtualization operations supported. Inaccordance with an embodiment that uses OVAB, this API can be an OVABDeployer interface, which allows OVAB Deployer to perform the tasks ofassembly creation. Products such as OVAB support virtualizationproviders such as OVM, in addition to computer hardware machines such asExaLogic. Products such as OVAB Deployer also provide an SPI that allowsthe development of plugins to support additional virtualizationtechnologies, such as EC2. In accordance with an embodiment, theorchestration engine/SME can upload and deploys assemblies through theOVAB Virtualization API, in addition to managing their lifecycle.

To support developer/demo scenarios, in accordance with an embodiment,the system can also implement a limited solution that can run on nativeOS processes (i.e., with no virtualization). This capability can beimplemented by providing a physical plugin that implements a portion ofthe Virtual Assembly Service API.

FIG. 14 is a flowchart of a process for using an orchestration enginewith a PaaS platform component, in accordance with an embodiment. Asshown in FIG. 14, at step at step 650, one or more computers areprovided, including a cloud environment and a PaaS platform component(PaaS platform) executing thereon.

At step 652, one or more service definition packages are received, foruse with the platform component, wherein each service definition packagedefines, for a particular enterprise application component, how thatparticular enterprise application component is deliverable as a servicetype within the platform component.

At step 654, the process determines, within the service definitionpackage, a virtual assembly that defines a topology and a configurationfor a set of virtual appliances.

At step 656, particular service types are determined to be provisionedfor use within the cloud environment, and corresponding servicemanagement engines configured within the platform component to supportthose particular service types.

At step 658, the process communicates with a plurality of servicemanagement engines to control the flow of service creation, providerdependency resolution, association of services and providers, andlife-cycle management of services within the cloud environment.

Elasticity Manager

FIG. 15 further illustrates use of an elasticity manager with a PaaSplatform component, in accordance with an embodiment.

As shown in FIG. 15, in accordance with an embodiment, the cloudelasticity manager 660, including an environment manager 662, can usemetric gatherers 664, 665 and alerts 670, to determine the health ofservices running in an environment. Once the state of the environment isdetermined, the cloud elasticity manager can take appropriate actions672. In accordance with an embodiment, the metric gatherers, alerts andactions can be provides as HK2 contracts, such that the set of metricgatherers, alerts and actions are extensible.

In accordance with an embodiment, a metric gatherer is an object thatcollects and maintains metric data about a service periodically. Forexample, a metric gatherer may periodically collect heap statistics suchas used memory and committed memory. Another metric gatherer canperiodically gather metrics about CPU usage. Generally, the metricgatherers provide information about the state of some resource usage.Metrics can also be provided by external monitoring tools and need notbe metric gatherer objects. In accordance with an embodiment, the cloudelasticity manager allows any Java bean component to provide metricsdata for use in generating alerts.

In accordance with an embodiment, an alert object periodically checksthe health of a service in an environment by analyzing metric datagathered by one or more metric gatherers over a period of time. Forexample, an alert may examine the CPU usage for the past 10 minutes todetermine if the environment is under stress. After the alert determinesthe state of the service or environment, it can execute some action,such as: sending an email; logging a message; sending an event; orscaling-up or scaling-down a service. In accordance with an embodiment,an alert can take multiple actions.

In accordance with an embodiment, the cloud elasticity manager caninclude a unified Expression Language (EL) engine 668 that allows alertsto be specified as EL expressions. EL expressions can also use metricgatherers and alerts in their expressions. In accordance with anembodiment, the cloud elasticity manager also allows external ELResolver objects 667 to be registered; which allows other types ofobjects such as MBeans or POJOs to be used in an expression.

Metric gatherers, alerts and actions typically require someconfiguration data. For example, a metric gatherer may require someconfiguration data that specifies the duration of time metric datashould be kept. Similarly, alerts may require some configuration datathat specifies the threshold value. In accordance with an embodiment,the cloud elasticity manager relies on the cloud account manager topersist such configuration data. Again, configuration data can be basedon HK2, thereby allowing easy extensibility.

FIG. 16 is a flowchart of a process for using an elasticity manager witha PaaS platform component, in accordance with an embodiment. As shown inFIG. 16, at step at step 673, one or more computers are provided,including a cloud environment and a PaaS platform component (PaaSplatform) executing thereon.

At step 674, the orchestration engine determines particular servicetypes to be provisioned for use within the cloud environment, andconfigures corresponding service management engines within the platformcomponent to support those particular service types.

At step 676, the elasticity manager determines health of services withinthe platform component, and takes appropriate actions, includingdetecting events, issuing alerts and/or notifying the orchestrationengine to manage the service lifecycle.

At step 677, one or more metric gatherer object periodically collectsand maintains metric data about a service resource usage; while one ormore alert object periodically checks the health of a service in anenvironment by analyzing metric data gathered by one or more metricgatherers over a period of time.

At step 679, the elasticity manager is configured to manage the servicelifecycle, to respond to requirements, including increased demand forparticular services.

Updating and Patching of SDPs

FIG. 17 further illustrates patching of service definition packages witha PaaS platform component, in accordance with an embodiment. Inaccordance with an embodiment, services can be periodically maintainedto ensure that they are up-to-date with, e.g., bug fixes, securityupdates and configuration changes. To help ensure homogeneousenvironments, services should be updated in a timely manner, with thesame set of patches and configuration updates.

In accordance with an embodiment, an update is defined to be a changewhich has to be made to the system. Examples of updates include anapplication of a security patch, upgrade of a component, or changing ofa configuration value. Depending on the type of update, some updates mayrequire a downtime, while other updates may not require a downtime. Thesystem can take both of these situations into account.

In accordance with an embodiment, updates can include hard updates—anupdate which requires a service downtime (e.g., patches to middleware,operating system (OS) updates etc.), or a service reboot; and softupdates—an update which does not require system downtime (e.g., someconfiguration changes).

Soft updates avoid a downtime, but at the expense of service stability.To this extent, it is important that the system administratorcategorizes updates properly. It is also important that all services areupdated to keep the environment homogeneous, and that maintenancewindows are restricted to ensure that all of the services are updatedproperly.

In accordance with an embodiment, a maintenance window is defined as atime frame when updates will be applied to a particular service. Adifferent maintenance window can be different for different services.Generally, one or more of the following actions will happen during themaintenance window, depending on the update type: lockout the service(typically only for hard update); backup the service; apply and or allof OS updates; perform system configuration changes; apply patches foran enterprise application, e.g., Fusion Middleware components; performservice configuration changes (e.g., tune threads, IO timeouts etc.);perform updates to other non-standard components; reboot service VMs;perform health check; and/or open up a service for public access.

For a soft update, not all of the above steps may be necessary. However,soft updates are still preferably applied when the service access is ata minimum (e.g., during the night). Although some updates may notrequire a restart or reboot of service runtimes, it is generallyrecommended that the VMs hosting the service are rebooted, to provide aclean state.

In accordance with an embodiment, an upgrade of a service is similar toa hard update, except that one or more of the components will beundergoing a major change, which may involve one or more of thefollowing: installation of a software component with a differentversion; minor version upgrade of a software component; or configurationmigration.

In accordance with an embodiment, a service may be upgraded if thecomponents being upgraded provide the necessary tooling, and the abilityto automate the migration scenario.

In accordance with an embodiment, a repository is assumed to beavailable as a local (or mounted) file system on the service runtimes. Arepository can be used to hold all of the components (patches,configuration files, scripts etc.) which will be required during themaintenance window. For example, the repository can hold artifacts fordifferent versions of service, e.g.,

repository:// . . . /<service-name>/<version-#>/<maintenance-window-#>/. . .

As shown in FIG. 17, in accordance with an embodiment, prior to amaintenance window, the repository is updated with the necessarycomponents 682, e.g., patches, Puppet manifests, or shell scripts.Updates can be driven using a configuration tool, such as Puppet or atool or component that provides similar functionality. In accordancewith an embodiment, if a service does not have Puppet or the appropriateconfiguration tool installed, the patching infrastructure will installconfiguration tool and will apply manifests made available in therepository.

A service administrator may also choose a different automation frameworkfor handling updates. All updates should be transactional, and should becapable of being rolled back in case of failures.

In accordance with an embodiment, the system administrator then definesa maintenance window 685, for use by the service update logic 684. Inaccordance with an embodiment, the cloud administration console can beused to define the maintenance window. The system administrator thenconfigures information such as: the service name and version of SDP forthe services to be patched; whether the maintenance window is a hard orsoft window; the length of the maintenance window (typically, 60 minsfor hard updates); the time frame for scheduling the updates (typically,a week for hard updates); and any other parameters which qualify theappropriate time for updates.

In accordance with an embodiment, the service update logic will thenassign a default time slot for each service. Email notifications can besent to service administrators in case of ‘hard’ updates notifying themof a system downtime. In accordance with an embodiment, a serviceadministrator has an option to choose amongst three time slots whenhis/her service will incur a downtime and update.

At update time, the update is requested by the service update logic 687,and the information in the repository is used to patch or update aservice from its original configuration 686, to a modified configuration689.

FIG. 18 is a flowchart of a process for patching of service definitionpackages with a PaaS platform component, in accordance with anembodiment. As shown in FIG. 18, at step at step 690, one or morecomputers are provided, including a cloud environment and a PaaSplatform component (PaaS platform) executing thereon.

At step 691, one or more service definition packages are provided, foruse with the platform component, wherein each service definition packagedefines, for a particular enterprise application component, how thatparticular enterprise application component is deliverable as a servicetype within the platform component.

At step 692, a service update logic is provided for modifying the one ormore service definition packages within a maintenance window, accordingto one or more patches or updates associated with the service definitionpackages.

At step 694, a repository is provided as one of a local or a mountedfile system at service runtime, and that includes patch, configurationfile, script and/or other components, which are used by the serviceupdate logic during the maintenance window to modify the servicedefinition packages.

At step 696, a service's characteristics and/or requirements aremodified or updated dynamically, by reconfiguring the platform componentitself and/or by mounting a disk volume that corresponds to theservice's service definition packages, and modifying its file systemcontents directly.

The present invention may be conveniently implemented using one or moreconventional general purpose or specialized digital computer, computingdevice, machine, or microprocessor, including one or more processors,memory and/or computer readable storage media programmed according tothe teachings of the present disclosure. Appropriate software coding canreadily be prepared by skilled programmers based on the teachings of thepresent disclosure, as will be apparent to those skilled in the softwareart.

In some embodiments, the present invention includes a computer programproduct which is a non-transitory storage medium or computer readablemedium (media) having instructions stored thereon/in which can be usedto program a computer to perform any of the processes of the presentinvention. The storage medium can include, but is not limited to, anytype of disk including floppy disks, optical discs, DVD, CD-ROMs,microdrive, and magneto-optical disks, ROMs, RAMs, EPROMs, EEPROMs,DRAMs, VRAMs, flash memory devices, magnetic or optical cards,nanosystems (including molecular memory ICs), or any type of media ordevice suitable for storing instructions and/or data.

The foregoing description of the present invention has been provided forthe purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to beexhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed.Many modifications and variations will be apparent to the practitionerskilled in the art. The embodiments were chosen and described in orderto best explain the principles of the invention and its practicalapplication, thereby enabling others skilled in the art to understandthe invention for various embodiments and with various modificationsthat are suited to the particular use contemplated. It is intended thatthe scope of the invention be defined by the following claims and theirequivalence.

What is claimed is:
 1. A system for updating services in a cloudcomputing environment, comprising: one or more computers including acloud environment executing thereon; a platform component that isprovided as an installable software suite within the cloud environment,and that supports self-service provisioning for enterprise applications;one or more services, wherein each service is instantiated from aservice type defined by a service definition package installed in theplatform component, and includes a configuration tool for updating thatservice a file system made available to runtimes of the services,wherein the file system includes one or more patches for each service,and one or more configuration files for use by the configuration tool ofthat service; and a service update logic that issues a request forupdating a particular service, wherein the configuration tool installedin the particular service updates that service using the informationassociated therewith in the file system within a maintenance window. 2.The system of claim 1, wherein the updating of each service includes oneof a hard update that requires a service downtime or reboot, and a softupdate that does not require a system downtime.
 3. The system of claim1, wherein characteristics and/or requirements of each service ismodified dynamically, by reconfiguring the platform component itselfand/or by mounting a disk volume that corresponds to the service'sservice definition package, and modifying contents of a file system ofthe disk volume directly.
 4. The system of claim 1, further comprising acloud administration console used to define a length of the maintenancewindow, and configure a version of the service definition package for aservice to be modified.
 5. The system of claim 1, wherein the serviceupdate logic assigns a default time slot when a service incurs adowntime and update.
 6. The system of claim 1, wherein the file systemadditionally is one of a local file system and a mounted file system. 7.The system of claim 1, wherein the update to the service istransactional and to be rolled back in case of failures.
 8. A methodupdating services in a cloud computing environment, comprising:providing one or more computers including a cloud environment executingthereon; providing a platform component that is provided as aninstallable software suite within the cloud environment, and thatsupports self-service provisioning for enterprise applications;instantiating one or more services from a service type defined by aservice definition package installed in the platform component, whereineach service includes a configuration tool for updating that service;providing a file system made available to runtimes of the services,wherein the file system includes one or more patches for each service,and one or more configuration files for use by the configuration tool ofthat service; and issuing, via a service update logic, a request forupdating a particular service, wherein the configuration tool installedin the particular service updates that service using the informationassociated therewith in the file system within a maintenance window. 9.The method of claim 8, wherein the updating of each service includes oneof a hard update that requires a service downtime or reboot, and a softupdate that does not require a system downtime.
 10. The method of claim8, wherein characteristics and/or requirements of each service ismodified dynamically, by reconfiguring the platform component itselfand/or by mounting a disk volume that corresponds to the service'sservice definition package, and modifying contents of a file system ofthe disk volume directly.
 11. The method of claim 8, further comprisingusing a cloud administration console to define a length of themaintenance window, and configure a version of the service definitionpackage for a service to be modified.
 12. The method of claim 8, whereinthe service update logic assigns a default time slot when a serviceincurs a downtime and update.
 13. The method of claim 8, wherein thefile system additionally is one of a local file system and a mountedfile system.
 14. The method of claim 8, wherein the update to theservice is transactional and to be rolled back in case of failures. 15.A non-transitory computer storage readable medium, includinginstructions stored thereon which when read and executed by one or morecomputers cause the one or more computers to perform the stepscomprising: configuring, at one or more computers including a cloudenvironment executing thereon, a platform component that is provided asan installable software suite within the cloud environment, and thatsupports self-service provisioning for enterprise applications;instantiating one or more services from a service type defined by aservice definition package installed in the platform component, whereineach service includes a configuration tool for updating that service;storing, in a file system made available to service runtimes of theservices, one or more patches for each service, and one or moreconfiguration files for use by the configuration tool of that service;and issuing, via a service update logic, a request for updating aparticular service, wherein the configuration tool installed in theparticular service updates that service using the information associatedtherewith in the file system within a maintenance window.
 16. Thenon-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein theupdating of each service includes one of a hard update that requires aservice downtime or reboot, and a soft update that does not require asystem downtime.
 17. The non-transitory computer readable storage mediumof claim 15, wherein characteristics and/or requirements of each serviceis modified dynamically, by reconfiguring the platform component itselfand/or by mounting a disk volume that corresponds to the service'sservice definition package, and modifying contents of a file system ofthe disk volume directly.
 18. The non-transitory computer readablestorage medium of claim 15, wherein the steps further comprises using acloud administration console to define a length of the maintenancewindow, and configure a version of the service definition package for aservice to be modified.
 19. The non-transitory computer readable storagemedium of claim 15, wherein the service update logic assigns a defaulttime slot when a service incurs a downtime and update.
 20. Thenon-transitory computer readable storage medium of claim 15, wherein thefile system additionally is one of a local file system and a mountedfile system.